From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2008-03-07 03:04:35 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Need help diagnosing foamy white poop
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
HAVE BLOOD TESTS BEEN DONE?
I am wondering if the insulinoma has allowed a Helicobacter
infection to take off, and if the steroids have played into that, .
The reasons i wonder this are:
1. Biaxin is one of the antibiotics which can knock down
Helicobacter. To be most effective it needs to be given along
with Amoxicillin.
2. Anemia can cause white feces.
The things that say otherwise are that a person would normally
expect black feces with a GI bleed but not always. See:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YPG1074
from Dr. Bruce Williams last year about a DIFFERENT ferret:
BEGIN QUOTE
The hematocrit (the percentage of the blood that is cells versus plasma is
extremely low, and likely the cause of the white stools. You don't mention
whether she is pale, but take a good close look at the nailbeds, gums,
pawpads, and nose. I'm betting unfortunately that they are very pale. If
this value is valid, and I have no reason not to believe it, then Buddy is
severely anemic and we are dealing with a life-threatening problem. If the
hematocrit drops below 12 in a ferret, a transfusion is generally
recommended; if it is less than 10, then organ failure, including liver and
kidney is a likely sequela. This bloodwork doesn't suggest renal failure at
this time. The white blood cell count is acceptable at this time.
Causes of anemia in ferrets include significant and prolonged bleeding from
gastric ulcers, other types of blood loss including severe parasitism,
adrenal disease in rare cases, hemolytic anemia, bone marrow disease (most
commonly seen in unsprayed jills), and drug reactions. It is often
difficult to diagnose precisely, but the common causes, including gastric
ulcers, adrenal disease, and prolonged estrus often show other clinical
signs.
This is a very sick ferret.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
END QUOTE
Steroids are needed to control insulinoma but can be hard on
the stomach. Is the Pred always given with food? Is Carafate
given separated in time from the other meds and food?
In fact, the anemia would NOT even have to be related or
entirely related to the stomach. Adrenal disease can cause a
serious form of anemia.
Of course, there may be other possible causes.
IS THIS WASTE ACTUALLY WHITE, GRAY-WHITE, OR YELLOW?
(Clarifying that might be important.) How closely does it
approximate the color and depth of color of what is fed?
(Also something important to clarify.)
It is too early to come to conclusions but blood work would
make sense, a CBC and Chem Panel...
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "amb5890" <amb5890@...> wrote:
>
> Levi is adrenal & he has insulinoma. He gets pred 3xday. He eats just
> about every four hours (only ground chicken & baby food). About a month
> ago he developed very white foamy poop with mucous. The vet prescribed
> Bioxin (which he took for 17 days). While on the Bioxin his poops were
> normal. He finished the meds yesterday. Now I see where half of his
> poop is normal but then the other half is getting white foaminess
> again. His lymph nodes in his neck and legs were a bit swollen when the
> vet prescribed the Bioxin. We did not test for lymphoma. I asked about
> getting amoxicillan with the Bioxin but she said she thinks it wont do
> any good because she thinks the bad poops is because he is on his way
> out and also because he had been on Baytril a couple weeks prior for
> some bruising he got after his Lupron shot. He acts very happy and
> normal other than the bad poops and somewhat swollen lymphs. What
> should I do?? Is the vet wrong or would the amoxicillin have maybe
> cleared this up all the way??? And does anyone know what the white
> foamy poop is or is caused by??? Thanks for any help. Anita
>
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